Self initiated
User Researcher, Information Architect, Visual Designer
This short project was born out of frustration from using the particularly "user-unfriendly" laundry service website provided by student housing in Amsterdam. Having heard of many other students' struggles with the site, I decided to re-design it, and eventually turned it into a prototype for an app. This project was aided with the input of over 100 students housed by DUWO.
I started out analysing the webapp with a critical eye by conducting an audit. The original webapp features a cramped layout with no obvious hierarchy. The colours appear to be used with little intention and confuse the user. There are no clear calls-to-action and no guidance on how to proceed after an error occurs.
Userflow of the old design
Remarking the old screens
Deeming it vital to incorporate feedback from users other than myself, I started getting to know my target audience by sharing a short survey, which illicited over 100 responses. Students from all over Amsterdam were eager to share their grievances about the website with me and hoped for an improved version soon.
I decided to focus my re-design on the reservation feature of the website, due to the high volume of complaints, and agreed with the suggestion to link the laundry feature with the existing student housing app.
The survey concluded with an open-ended question, asking for any suggestions. I categorised the long responses into 2 types of suggestions: vague, and direct. These are some of the responses made by participants.
The user personas resulted out of the 2 most common types of answers from the survey. Since the buildings that use this particular laundry service are "student housing", the app needed to be aimed at young users aged 18-32, currently studying at an institution in Amsterdam. It was decided to use a friendly, approachable, and modern visual style.
Who are my users? Users of the laundry service in the DUWO buildings.
What are they trying to accomplish? Reserve and use the washing machines and dryers comfortably.
How should my product behave? Clear interactions and responses.
What form should my product take? Integrated part of DUWO app.
How will users interact with my product? They will use the service upto once a week.
How can my product deal with problems users encounter? Enable them to exit an unintentional interaction and provide feedback.
How will my product help infrequent users understand how to accomplish their goals? Clear UI and in-app support.
Based on the input of the users, and a competitive analysis of other laundry service programs, I created an information architecture for the new design.
A consistent design language now ensures that all buttons are recognisable. Reservations can be made swiftly from the home screen, and a back/cancel button on every screen ensures backtracing. Custom, playful illustrations coupled with a bright and friendly blue colour palette were used to create a friendly and modern aesthetic that would appeal to young users.
© Karina Shantilal 2024